The graphics are very good, and a welcome change from target-type games such as Invaders or Asteroids.

You are in command of a laser-firing ship zooming among the skyscrapers of a large city, trying to intercept and destroy the aliens which are descending to destroy the buildings.

The skyscrapers, in four 'layers', appear to pass across the screen in different directions according to your use of the controls.

The motion is, in the style of the ZX81, a bit jerky but the 3D effect is good. Nearby buildings pass quickly, distant ones appear to go slowly.

The aliens, of course, fire back. There are 'lightning' effects as they fire their guns and, if they manage to land they destroy a chunk of city. (They can also destroy you.)

Be warned - the aliens are not easy to catch. You can zoom past them and then have to return and search them out among the buildings!

City Patrol is a straightforward game to play; it keeps score but does not offer different skill levels. But the format and the graphics make it a little different from most of the other games I've tried for the ZX81.

C.C.R.